Numerical modeling and analysis technology is an important tool in the design and verification of many engineered structures and the structural components of which they are composed. One common computer-based numerical modeling and analysis technique is finite element modeling and analysis. In accordance with various numerical modeling analysis techniques, computer models may define a working environment in terms of geometry, elements, properties, loads, constraints and the like, and can thus be solved and analyzed to determine structural integrity of an engineered structure within that working environment, for example. Through numerical modeling and analysis and in particular finite element analysis, it may be possible to break a complex system down into a manageable (finite) number of elements (e.g., a curve drawn as a series of steps). These computer models and their analysis may be used for several purposes, such as to help determine the behavior of a new airplane product design under various load environments.
Finite element analysis has often been utilized to predict initiation and propagation of existing cracks in structures such as a composite laminate. Once a crack has passed through an initial direction, additional initiations or propagations of the crack may potentially occur in second or third directions. However, existing finite element modeling and analysis techniques are not readily able to predict the initiation and propagation of cracks in two or three planes of a structure.
In particular, the prediction of crack initiation and propagation in a material using existing finite element computer modeling techniques has been hampered by a number of limitations of the techniques. The existing techniques are not able to easily predict the initiation or propagation of cracks in structures containing material or geometric non-linearities or exhibiting non-linear material or geometric response (e.g., as a result of large displacements). Further, some of these techniques require multiple computer runs to propagate the crack which results in tedious post-processing of multiple finite element solutions.
Therefore, it may be desirable to have a system and method that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.